5 Reasons Why Spider-Man Is Marvel’s Best (and 5 Flaws We All Try to Ignore)

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There is a broad consensus that Spider-Man is Marvel’s best superhero. Even beyond his longstanding critical reception, Spider-Man is Marvel’s statistically the best character as the publisher’s most searched hero. Not only that, but he remains among the most financially successful superheroes thanks to movies, merchandise, and television shows. Simply put, he’s beloved enough and big enough to warrant his status as the best.

However, no character is without flaws or criticisms, and Spider-Man is no different. As a character, Spider-Man’s flaws are ever-present in the Marvel Universe, and it makes even his peers hate him. Outside of storytelling, even Spider-Man’s readers who love the character dearly have complaints about the character that seem to be consistent across his stories. There are just as many reasons to love Spider-Man as a character as there are reasons to be frustrated with what makes him flawed.

10

Marvel’s Best: Spider-Man Is the Friend Everyone Needs

Few Superheroes Are More Empathetic

Spider-Man has plenty of superpowers, but few resonate with readers more than Spider-Man’s power of empathy, whichis how he lives up to the moniker of “Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.” He takes time to talk to the citizens of New York, and he does so to provide empathy to those who need it. This quality is particularly on display in one of Spider-Man’s best comics, “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” from The Amazing Spider-Man #248 by Roger Stern, Ron Frenz, Terry Austin, and Joe Rosen.

“The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” is one example of a story that showcases not only how Spider-Man uses empathy like any other power, but how important it is. Everyone can have a bad day and, in young Tim’s case, a disease like leukemia can put a stop to one’s days, but all it takes is one person to brighten that day when someone needs it most. Everyone can learn how to be kind, like Spider-Man, when it matters.

9

Flaw: The Spider-Man Fandom Can Scare Off New and Old Fans

Some Fans Can Take Things a Little Too Seriously

No one is going to deny that Spider-Man fans are some of the most passionate comic book readers out there, but for some, certain fans may be a little too passionate. Some fans have been accused of using their passion to express their hate for current Spider-Man stories. Granted, the hate can be understandable and often justified, but some readers, despite how dissatisfied they are with the current product, will persist with hate-reading issues just to complain about them.

Beyond not being the most productive use of their time, this vocal hate-reading can discourage would-be readers from even picking up an issue for the first time, knowing how alarming the Spider-Man fandom can be. Most perplexing, some fans have a tendency to offer public outcry about Peter never changing, and then complain when he develops in some new, shocking way. Spidey stories aren’t perfect, but some fans are prone to overreaction.

8

Marvel’s Best: Few Superheroes Have a Better Costume Than Spider-Man

One of Marvel’s Best-Designed Costumes

Most superheroes go through a costume evolution and get their suits updated for the current era, but a select few hero costumes are too iconic to alter. Spider-Man has one of those costumes. He’s had variations of his classic suit over the years, but Peter always goes back to the original. Even in alternate universes, namely both versions of the Ultimate Universe, his costume is too iconic to alter too heavily.

Alternate universes are usually the perfect opportunity to make a major change to an iconic character’s appearance, personality, and/or history, but even on another Earth, Spider-Man’s costume is too iconic to dismantle. The newer Ultimate Universe makes a slight alteration to the insignia, but the bug eyes and the red-and-blue color scheme are too much of a staple of Spider-Man’s outfit. Everyone loves it too much to change.

7

Flaw: The Spider-Man Family Is Too Disconnected

As Many Spiders as There Are, They’re Rarely Together

The “Spider-Family” gives Marvel its very own litter of sidekicks for Spider-Man, and considering how large the Spider-Verse is, it makes perfect sense. The problem is that it’s rare to see them all together in one comic, especially unless it’s a Spider-Verse crisis situation. Stories like “Grim Hunt” showcase how important the unity of the Spider-Family can be in keeping Peter on track and keeping him from straying from the responsibilities of his great power.

Nowadays, most comics relegate Spider-Family members to their own comics away from Spider-Man. Unless he’s alongside his newest sidekick, Spider-Boy, or some combination of himself, Miles Morales, and Spider-Gwen, the family is going to be absent. When was the last time Spider-Man shared a panel with Spider-Woman? That alone is a hard question to answer, and that is a problem.

Anyone Can Aspire to Be Spider-Man

Stan Lee, Spider-Man’s co-creator, often expressed that anyone could be Spider-Man. Not literally, as Peter Parker’s unique experience is what made his character ideal for the role, and the same can be said for Miles Morales. Not just anybody can be Spider-Man, but Spider-Man can be anyone – as in someone from any walk of life can put on the Spider-Man costume and adopt his sensibilities. Any true believer, regardless of race, gender, age, or any number of factors can imagine themselves in that costume and aspire to be someone as noble and responsible as Spider-Man.

It brings an entirely new quality to Spider-Man’s stories, but most of all, it inspires a generation of readers to want to be like Spider-Man. They may not be Peter Parker or Miles Morales, but they can learn how to put into practice the things that make these Spider-Men heroic and admirable.

5

Flaw: Every Superhero in the Marvel Universe Hates Spider-Man

It’s Ridiculous How Just About Everybody Hates Spider-Man

In real life, practically everyone loves Spider-Man, but that couldn’t be further from the truth in the comics. In-universe, other heroes think that Spider-Man is annoying, a nuisance, and treat him as if he’s incompetent. In comparison to his counterpart, Miles Morales, Peter is unlikeable. Peter has become both a punching bag and a punchline in the hero community, and he’s even outright been called an amateur.

This doesn’t make much sense when broken down. Sure, Spidey doesn’t have the best character traits, and he tends to lash out at those he loves. However, he’s also a former Avenger who, at this stage in his superhero career, has single-handedly saved the world ten times over. There’s being disliked, and then there’s not being good at one’s job. Spider-Man’s stories become hard to believe when so many heroes treat Peter as if he isn’t good at his job.

4

Marvel’s Best: Spider-Man Has the Best Villains

Few Marvel Characters Have a Rogues Gallery Quite Like Spider-Man’s

There’s a classic sentiment that a superhero is only as interesting or as entertaining as their villains, and in this case, Spider-Man’s villains make him utterly captivating. Spider-Man’s rogues gallery ranks among the very best that Marvel has to offer, and he arguably has the best gallery in all comics, possibly only rivaled by Batman.

Spider-Man’s villains are what helped him endure the test of time and are why Spider-Man remains so compelling to this day. Spider-Man’s original villains have withstood time, and they don’t even scratch the surface of his biggest heavy-hitters, including Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. Simply put, Spidey has a vast array of villains to choose from, all of which offer unique challenges and stories for the web-head. It’s hard to pick a favorite villain when Spider-Man has a host of baddies that fans love to hate.

3

Flaw: “Parker Luck” Is Ruining Spider-Man’s Stories

The Concept Has Been Overdone

Once upon a time, the phrase “Parker Luck” was typically used as just a fun phrase to throw out to address Peter’s mild misfortunes in the way of an inside joke. It was a running gag about mild inconveniences that Peter would roll his eyes at later or laugh off after the fact. Today, Parker Luck is the very thing that ruins Spider-Man’s life. Creators now use it almost like a reverse-deus ex machina in which the worst possible scenario, no matter how contrived, can happen to Peter, just because of Parker Luck.

In contemporary stories, Parker Luck is nothing more than an excuse to keep Spider-Man miserable. While misery and bad luck do keep him relatable, that shouldn’t be the sole reason he’s relatable. It often reads like lazy writing when it’s the only explanation given as to why something bad is happening to him.

2

Marvel’s Best: Spider-Man Is the Brand’s Most Relatable Hero

Spider-Man’s Relatable Nature Goes Beyond His Misery

What actuallymakes Spider-Man relatable is his dedication to responsibility. That is what separates Spider-Man from the average villain, and it gives him some qualities that are worth admiring. Spider-Man is relatable because, no matter the hardships he endures, he still chooses to be a good guy. He still chooses to be kind, heroic, and empathetic instead of becoming cruel or using his powers to give himself an advantage.

Readers have seen Spider-Man when he was down on his luck, dead-broke, out of love, and out of a job. These are all things that most adults often go through, but when they struggle to go on, Spider-Man shows how to push forward whilst remaining both righteous and vigilant in the face of human struggle. Spider-Man struggles often, and he struggles severely, but he still always comes out the other end as Spider-Man.

1

Flaw: Spider-Man’s Writers Just Can’t Seem to Rise to the Task

The Spider-Man Community Continues to Be Livid at How Marvel Treats Spider-Man

Few things frustrate readers more about Spider-Man than his writing. Gripes about his storylines are nothing new, as criticisms date back to his most controversial arcs, like One More Day and Sins Past. However, the Spider-Man fan-community has been more frustrated than ever in recent years, as writer Zeb Wells’ infamous run on The Amazing Spider-Man included Ms. Marvel’s death, an alliance with Norman Osborn, and the reiteration that MJ and Peter are never getting back together.

Behind each storyline is a fanbase disappointed with how Marvel handles Spider-Man. It’s made some feel as though Marvel has lost sight of how to write for arguably its greatest hero. Even the most avid lovers of Spider-Man find themselves frustrated with how he’s written and with the direction of his stories. The character himself isn’t perfect, but no flaw is worse than the mishandling of Spider-Man’s comics.

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